• What makes superfoods unique?
• The advantages of superfoods
• What to be mindful of when consuming superfoods
• Acai, blueberries, cranberries & goji berries
• Cocoa (powder)
• Chia seed, flaxseed and hemp seed
• Chlorella & Spirulina
• Cinnamon
• Garlic
• Ginger and Turmeric
• Maca
• Wheatgrass
• Coconut oil
• Walnuts

Superfoods have a combination of characteristics that makes them unique in comparison to other foods:

• Superfoods have an extraordinary amount of minerals, vitamins, building materials, and fibers compared to other foods.
• They are 100% natural and are also known as whole foods.
• These are foods that are not processed but can be obtained from nature.
• Can be used as natural medicine.
• Have antioxidants.

What exactly are antioxidants? These are substances that can protect your cells from free radicals that play a role in heart disease, cancer, and other diseases. Free radicals are produced when your body processes certain types of food or when you are exposed to, for example, tobacco smoke or radiation.

Superfoods have the following advantages or superpowers:

• Protect your heart and can prevent cardiovascular disease
• Improve immune system
• Improve metabolism and therefore help with weight loss
• Boost energy level
• Prevent skin aging
• Prevent or reduce depression
• Increase libido
• Helps with healing
• Reduce cancer risk

There are a lot of superfoods. In this blog, we discuss the 15 most important superfoods we eat, which we believe are powerful and easy to obtain.

What to be mindful of when consuming superfoods

The term superfoods have no legal classification. The term can therefore be used by all manufacturers and sellers and can therefore also be used while a product is not a superfood.

In addition, it is important to eat a varied diet, even if you consume a lot of superfoods. Despite the fact that this food has a high amount of nutrients and antioxidants, a varied diet is extremely important. Superfoods do not have all the essential nutrients that the body needs. Variety is the most important thing to live super healthy.

Almost all berries are rich in vitamins, but these four are extraordinary for their powerful antioxidants.

• Acai in particular is incredibly powerful, this berry is in the top 10 foods with the highest amounts of antioxidants. Acai contains high amounts of vitamin E, provitamin A, calcium, calcium, and iron.
• Blueberries are high in vitamins A, C and powerful antioxidants that can be effective for preventing disease.
• Cranberries have been used for centuries for stomach and bladder problems, they contain a substance that prevents bacteria from attaching to cells. The berry is rich in many vitamins and minerals.
• Goji berries contain a special substance called “atropine”, which is used in medicines. And if you thought oranges had a lot of vitamin C, goji berries contain 500 times more vitamin C per 100g!

Cocoa

Chocolate is a favorite snack for many of us, and if you opt for pure chocolate, it can actually do more good than harm. Cocoa is rich in healthy nutrients, researchers found more than 700 micro-ingredients, some of which are powerful anti-inflammatories.

Besides this, it also contains a caffeine-like substance that makes you sharper and generally makes you feel better. Cocoa is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, B5, C, E and in the minerals calcium, iron, zinc, copper, potassium, manganese and contains more magnesium than any other food!

You can choose to buy organic dark chocolate, but you can also buy cocoa nibs or cocoa powder. We use organic cocoa powder or these organic cocoa nibs of Myprotein ourselves.

Simply add it to your yogurt or quark, together with some natural Vanilla Flavdrops (without fat or sugar) and you have a healthy meal that tastes like stracciatella dessert! Of course, you can also add cocoa powder to your smoothie, blend, coffee, or recipe for a delicious taste!

”Cocoa contains more magnesium than any other food.”

Chia seed, flaxseed and hemp seed

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We mentioned these foods before in the Omega-3 blog because they are all rich in omega-3 acids. But that’s not all, they all have their own superpowers:

• Chia seeds contain more iron than spinach and also contain many other minerals. More than 50% of the fatty acids present in this seed are the omega-3 acid “alpha-linolenic acid”, which can be converted into the fish oils EPA and DHA. But this is not all, chia seeds contain 4 times as many antioxidants as blueberries. They are therefore effective in slowing down aging.
• Flaxseed contains even more omega-3 fatty acids per 100g and contains powerful antioxidants against cancer. Researchers found that breast cancer is significantly less common in countries where this antioxidant is regularly consumed.
• Hemp seed is the seed of the Cannabis Sativa plant but does not contain any psychoactive substances. The seeds are very rich in protein, vitamins A, B, E, chlorophyll, magnesium, iron, potassium, and healthy fats. A hemp seed protein concentration is very popular among vegans because of its high-quality protein content.

We ourselves use the organic and high-quality chia seed, hemp seed, and flaxseed from Myprotein. The flaxseed is in powder form, so you can easily add a large scoop to shakes or smoothies.

Both nutrients are algae that come in powder form and are extracted from rich water sources. These algae are very complete in amino acids, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals.

• Chlorella is incredibly rich in chlorophyll, which is beneficial for removing “toxic” metals such as mercury, lead, amalgam, and cadmium by preventing bonding with these metals. Chlorella is even used by NASA for astronauts because of its richness in nutrients.
• Spirulina is very similar to chlorella and therefore contains almost all vitamins and minerals, chlorophyll, omega 3 acids, and high-quality amino acids. Unlike Chlorella, spirulina grows in saltwater, making it particularly rich in iodine and iron.

We use spirulina tablets from Myprotein every day. Chlorella is available at various drugstores and superfood stores.
We use the Myprotein spirulina tablets daily. Chlorella is available at various drugstores and superfood stores.

Cinnamon is a common spice with a strong smell and taste. Keep in mind that many “cinnamons” are not actually cinnamon but the very similar Cassia, which is not as beneficial and can even be toxic in high doses. Look for the original Ceylon cinnamon instead. This spice is in the top 3 nutrients with the highest amounts of antioxidants and is therefore beneficial to prevent cancer and delay aging. Cinnamon is unique in that it is also very beneficial for the brain and lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Garlic

The healing effect of garlic has been known for a long time. Most people only think about the exceptional taste and smell of garlic but are not aware of its benefits. Garlic has a positive effect on blood vessels and lowers blood pressure and bad cholesterol. In addition, researchers have found that garlic can prevent many cancers. If you don’t like the strong smell of garlic, it is also available in concentrated forms, which are even more beneficial because they contain higher amounts of healing substances.

These carrots are known for their positive health effects, but they are very different.

• Ginger is known for its calming effect on the stomach and intestines, which can really help if you are nauseous. In addition to this effect, it is also an anti-inflammatory nutrient that can help against joint diseases.
• Turmeric, on the other hand, is very effective against many forms of cancer and against other diseases such as inflammation, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, and diabetes. Turmeric is listed as number 6 on the list of top antioxidant foods.

This root has been used as a medicine for many millennia. Maca is rich in many vitamins, minerals, and substances responsible for fertility. This nutrient is also known for balancing hormone balance, increasing energy, memory, concentration, and sexual desire. Did you know that Maca contains five times as much protein and four times as much fiber as potatoes? In addition, maca contains various vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, B6, riboflavin, calcium, iron, potassium, manganese, and copper.

In short: food that can boost your mood in many ways! We use Myprotein’s Maca daily in a shake or blend.

Wheatgrass

This is quite a unique nutrient because, contrary to its name, it is actually not grass. It is in fact pressed grass, which is a very necessary process since humans cannot digest grass fibers. Because grass is truly unique in extracting minerals from the soil, the juice contains an incredible amount of minerals and vitamins. Just 30 ml contains the same amount of micronutrients as 1 kilo of fruits and vegetables. Wheatgrass is available at various drugstores and superfood stores.

Coconut oil is very popular. You can bake in it, use it in care products or make delicious baked goods with it. Despite this, coconut oil has been criticized for its saturated fatty acids. Coconut oil is therefore often labeled as unhealthy, simply because it consists of more than 85% of saturated fat. But there is something special about coconut oil, its natural saturated fats consist mostly of lauric acid. Lauric acid has been proven to raise healthy cholesterol levels and kill bacteria and viruses.

An advantage of saturated fat is that it is safe to cook with because it can withstand high temperatures. If an unsaturated oil such as olive oil is heated past its smoke point, it gives off toxic smoke. Since olive oil has a low smoke point, there is a risk of harmful smoke being produced during cooking. So why not opt ​​for coconut oil when cooking? We use Myprotein’s 100% organic coconut oil during cooking and in various baking recipes. This quality oil is not hydrogenated, bleached, refined, or deodorized.

It is well known that nuts are very healthy, but the walnut has unique health benefits. The walnut has a high amount of omega-3 fatty acids, which is good for a healthy brain and memory. That is why the walnut is also called brain food.

In addition, walnuts contain almost twice as many antioxidants as most other nuts. Do you have trouble sleeping? Then take a handful of walnuts. Walnuts contain melatonin, tryptophan, and magnesium. Melatonin aids in falling asleep, tryptophan improves sleep quality and magnesium provides relaxation and many other health benefits. But that’s not all, the walnut is also full of vitamin E which prevents and heals inflammation, promotes metabolism, and protects body cells.

We eat 30g high-quality walnuts from Myprotein daily.